This invention relates to dictate stations for central dictating systems and, more particularly, to dictate stations that are used for entering identifying information.
Central dictation systems are known wherein a central voice message store receives messages dictated by system authors for subsequent transmission to transcribe stations whereby those messages may be transcribed to written, or "hard copy" form. One example of a central dictation system is the Nucleus Central Dictation System, sold by Dictaphone Corporation. In the Nucleus system, the central store is comprised of magnetic tape which records, in analog form, messages which are dictated by system authors. Recorded messages are directed by supervisory control to particular transcribe stations.
Another example of a central dictation system is the Digital Express System DX7000, sold by Dictaphone Corporation, which utilizes digital techniques for converting dictated messages to digital form and then storing those digitized messages on typical digital storage devices. Details of this system are described in British Specification 2,201,863, published Sep. 7, 1988. Here too, stored messages subsequently may be reproduced and directed to particular transcribe stations under supervisory control. In a digital central dictation system, digital information characterizing each message may be stored with that message, or in a separate storage device or storage area and linked to that message. Such information typically identifies the type of message which is dictated, the identity of the author who dictated that message, and other parameters which are useful in following (or tracking) the progress of the storage and transcribe operations associated with that message. For example, the time of dictation, the particular department of which the author is a member, and other useful information may be generated either automatically, as when the author operates his dictate equipment, or manually, such as may be generated when the author operates a keyboard, keypad, or the like.
Many central dictation systems are installed in health care facilities. It is common for users of those systems to dictate reports or memoranda while viewing a patient's X-ray, observing a diagnostic test or the like. The user often inputs information regarding the patient, such as an identification number, by use of a keypad associated with the user's dictate station. It would be desirable to provide a more convenient mechanism for input of information via a dictate station.